The Gelfling Gathering - Dark Crystal Author Quest Entry
by MESchmidt
Summary: Here is my entry into the Jim Henson Company's contest. I did not make it to the final cut. :(


THE GELFLING GATHERING

a story by

M. Schmidt

**Excerpt from the journal of SkekSihn the Potent  
Great Potion of Immeasurable Strength and Focus**

One part Essence of Spriton Gelfling  
Two parts Essence of Woodland Gelfling

One Sprig of Oolo Root

One Toe of Ember Bat

Chapter 1

"Silence, underling!" SkekTek screeched. "Stop your incessant jabber and secure those binding straps on the Gelfling. His Most Brilliant and Astute, the Emperor, requires essence immediately!"

"But Master," the younger Skeksis said as he pushed the weak Gelfling back into the chair.

"Ah, ah, ah! What did I tell you to call me, you wretched underling?" SkekTek swung around to face his apprentice. "Come on then, SkekSihn. Start again."

"Great Scientist of Infinite Wisdom," SkekSihn said hesitantly, thinking he might have gotten it wrong. SkekTek changed his title every day or so, but the younger Skeksis had a good memory. After some thought, he was fairly certain he wouldn't be bashed with the crystal staff this time.

"That's right, my little pet," SkekTek turned away from him. "Now that the stinky Gelfling is in place, open the wall! Mmmm, it is essence we need!"

"But Great Scientist," SkekSihn pleaded to be heard. He even went so far as to touch the great robes and jewels SkekTek adorned himself with. "I have a better way."

"Nonsense," the elder Skeksis squawked. Spittle flew from his mouth and landed on SkekSihn's bony arm.

"Who built this beautiful apparatus?" SkekTek said intensely. "Me..."

"Who extracts the essence for the emperor?" his eyes flashed with malice. "Me…"

"Who studied the Great Crystal for over a hundred trine?" the Great Scientist glared at his apprentice with hatred.

"It was me…I did!" SkekTek shouted.

SkekSihn shrunk back with every word as SkekTek advanced upon him. In his retreat, he got caught up in his voluminous robes and fell backward onto the Gelfling in the Extraction Chair. The creature let out a very unGelfling-like sound as the bulk of SkekSihn's body crushed its tiny frame. The fallen Skeksis let out a cry of grief, rolled to the floor and shook in fear and anger before he finally heaved himself to his feet.

"Most amusing," SkekTek stood before him with a smug grin across his visage. "Now, let's start the extraction and drain the Gelfling's essence!"

SkekSihn turned away from his master and seethed, "You should listen to me, SkekTek. But you are too stupid. You will be sorry when I am immortal and you are nothing but a bunch of dying fools! Soon you will bow down to me and beg for the elixir. But it will be too late. There will be none for you."

"Quit babbling and help me, you dimwit!" SkekTek bawled as he adjusted clear tubes made from Scrawler intestines which stretched from the apparatus on the back the chair out to a glass potion bottle on a side table.

SkekSihn shook his head and focused on the task at hand. He pranced across SkekTek's laboratory floor with his clawed hands held out before him. His tongue hung out one side and his beady eyes watched the Gelfling as he pulled the lever on the wall.

"No," the Gelfling cried. "Just let me go, please."

"Oh, but today is your lucky day," SkekTek was next to the creature. "Your life essence is for the Emperor! He's been working very hard and needs to be rejuvenated. Look into the reflector, Gelfling, and everything will be fine."

The leather strap around the Gelfling's head forced him to look straight ahead. The wall dropped away and a ray of sparkly light shone directly into the captive's face. He trembled with closed eyes and knew if he opened them, all would be lost. The air thrummed around him as if filled with static; like when he stood out in the Jalipar Plains and lightning struck the ground all around. His mind went to that time; the wind blew and the rain fell unbound from the conjurer clouds above as he played his flute music. Those were happy times and he wished he could go back there.

"Open your eyes, Gelfling!" SkekTek snapped as he took up his crystal staff and jabbed the bound figure.

SkekSihn watched from the wall as the Gelfling opened its eyes and was unable to resist the power of the Great Crystal. The weakling creature shook and shuddered, but could not close his eyes now that he was under its spell. Finally, the tube began to fill with luminous red essence and would soon reach the bottle. A single Gelfling usually filled a bottle to the top, but it took two Podlings to get the same amount and it was never as potent.

As the last of his life drained out, the Gelfling turned gray and his skin shriveled, making him unrecognizable; not that SkekSihn could tell the troublesome species apart anyways, other than the telltale signs that marked them from the different clans. The Gelfling slumped in the chair as the last of the essence dropped into the bottle and then SkekSihn began to pull the lever that would close the wall.

"Wait!" SkekTek said as he came to where SkekSihn stood. "Unbind the worthless wretch and throw him into the shaft."

"But, Master," SkekSihn cursed himself for not addressing the other Skeksis as he was told. "Do you think that is wise?"

"Yes, I think it's wise! Now fetch him and throw him in!" SkekTek shook with anger.

"As you wish, Great Scientist," he said.

SkekSihn turned to unclasp the leather bindings. He didn't like how the beings felt after their essence was drained and he attempted to touch the Gelfling as little as possible. He lifted the limp form and grimaced as he inevitably felt the cold clammy skin. Its eyes were open and empty, like there was nothing left in there.

"Yes, into the dark shaft!" SkekTek said intently as SkekSihn tossed the body over the side. They both watched as the Gelfling fell without a sound or sign of life even when it bounced off the jagged rock wall. Then there was a flash and the creature was out of their sight.

"How far do you think it goes?" SkekSihn asked.

"Yorgs. Many yorgs," SkekTek replied. "Probably only Aughra knows. She's been to the bottom. Took her son with her, but he never came back up. He probably still lays down there; rotting like that Gelfling will be in a few days!"

"SkekTek!" another Skeksis had come into the laboratory "The Emperor needs you. It appears we have an intruder in the castle."

"But, I have fresh essence for His Eminence," SkekTek hesitated.

"Never mind, there's time for that later. He needs you now with some of your Scout Crawlies," the Skeksis commanded and left as quickly as he had come.

SkekTek rummaged through a rack of cages along the wall and raced out the door leaving SkekSihn alone. He pulled the lever and the wall slowly closed. The glow from the crystal dissipated and he felt calmer as the room dimmed.

"Red essence is mine!" he said as he grabbed the potion bottle and plugged it with a wooden stopper made from the squishy bark of a Bony Omniferous Tree.

He quickly stole out of the room, down a dark hallway and into another chamber, completely unaware the intruder had snuck up behind and followed him. The Gelfling, who had successfully avoided being caught by the other Skeksis, quietly watched as SkekSihn slithered through his own private chambers to the far wall where he pulled a lever similar to the one in SkekTek's laboratory. A door appeared where there had been none before and he walked into his hidden laboratory.

If SkekSihn had turned, he would have seen the intruder was a Gelfling of portly build who carried a sword, but he was intent on his work as he entered the great room where he spent most of his time studying essence and kept his journals of special elixirs.

Alongside the walls, rows of shelves with an extraordinary amount of potion bottles and vials filled with the luminous essence as well as a myriad of items he used for his ingenious concoctions. He smiled to himself and thought how far the apprentice had surpassed the master.

"Woodland Gelfling, so easy to get, but a Spriton, a Spriton Gelfling is a prize indeed!" SkekSihn was pleased with himself as he set the red essence on his workbench.

He walked along the rows of bottles. They were filled with different colored liquid and as his hand touched them, he named them off.

"Green essence from Woodland Gelfling. Yellow from Dousan. And Sifa are blue. Ah, and this one is hard to get, white for Vapra. Grottan Gelfling essence is unglowing black. Brown for Drenchen Gelfling and this one, yes, this is what I need for my latest elixir, red essence sucked from the life of a Spriton Gelfling. Hmmm," SkekSihn sighed as he came back to his cluttered workbench.

The hidden Gelfling watched and shuddered when he thought about all his brethren who had been killed for the liquid inside those bottles. He sunk to his haunches behind the jumbled mess of travel trunks, bird cages and odd pieces of cut lumber. Usually laid back and carefree, he chided himself for being in this position and to his dismay; he was a very anxious Gelfling.

Being a Drenchen Gelfling as he was, he mostly thought of bugs and things made of mud, but at this moment, maybe it was the fancy life he had here as a guard of the castle, he thought of bigger things. He wondered where the lifeless bodies of all the Gelfling had gone. He had seen them throw the Spriton Gelfling down the shaft, but suspected this evil Skeksis had a different method for their disposal. He also wondered if he could find them, could they be restored if they drank the essence? But then, what if they drank another Gelfling's essence and not their own?

These troubles, very unDrenchen-like indeed, occupied his thoughts as he watched SkekSihn rummage around on the shelves, referring to the journal he kept on a pedestal in the center of the room as he brought different ingredients to the table.

"Mmmh. This is what I need right now," SkekSihn said to himself cravingly.

"Some of this and some of that!" he talked to himself as he put the ingredients into what the Gelfling guessed was a machine the Skeksis had created himself. It had gut tubes, gears, beakers and many pieces of shiny metal and crystals all connected together in ways he could not comprehend.

"SkekTek could never come up with something like this; my Essence Amalgamator," the Skeksis praised himself quietly.

"Yes! Some Spriton essence for power," the Skeksis sang. "And Woodland for ingenuity. A root of Oolo for substance and toe of Ember bat for taste!"

After SkekSihn put the ingredients into the funnel of the machine, he pushed a lever and the gears began to turn. Part of the wall opened, just like in SkekTek's laboratory and a magenta ray of light extended from a reflector in the shaft to a crystal mounted on the machine. Other crystals on the thing began to glow and two pipes emitted a blackened steam. The Gelfling became worried when he felt the floor tremor. The clear tubes flowed with a reddish brown substance into the potion bottle at the end. The potion seemed to be alive as particles of red and green essence swirled in the bottle.

The Skeksis pulled the lever on the machine, seized the bottle and without waiting, tossed his head back and downed it. SkekSihn stiffened, and then his entire body shook while he whipped his head back and forth.

"Wooh!" he shouted. "Refreshing!"

The Gelfling huddled uncomfortably hidden. He was not used to skulking about and had become quite tired hunkered down on his haunches. He stretched his leg out and kicked something over from the great pile he had chosen to hide behind. It landed on the ground with a great thud. He inhaled suddenly and watched the Skeksis intently to see if it had heard his clumsiness. Luckily, the Skeksis's evil machine was still powering down and the hulking birdlike creature was talking to himself again.

"Ah, now that was good!"

The potion coursed through the Skeksis as he moved to the tome on the pedestal and flipped through the pages to the last one and gazed down upon it.

"But this, this is the one to top them all! Ah, Exquisite Elixir of Foreverness! I just need all the right ingredients. Speaking of that, my Toadies should be close now. The SpyEyes should be in place now. The ScryStone will show everything."

SkekSihn pranced to the far end of the room, where a large flat piece of crystal was mounted on the wall. The Gelfling moved closer for a better look and saw the Skeksis touch the crystal. As if by magic, a moving picture appeared on the surface. The hidden visitor watched from behind the Essence Amalgamator and saw three large frog-like creatures smash through a forest that looked much like the one near his homeland. A crystal glowed brightly between the eyes of the giant green creatures, attached by a harness that was locked around their large bulbous heads.

He recognized these usually docile creatures and guessed the Skeksis used these crystals to control them. Now he watched as the Toadies crashed into a Gelfling village in the woods. It was as if he was there, but no sound came from the Gelfling as they screamed. Some gathered up their children and ran, others were too slow. He saw a Toady eat one of the Gelfling that wasn't quick enough. They didn't stop long and were soon at the center of the village. On the screen, he recognized a Gelfling that could be none other than the Woodland Clan Mother. She came forward with her staff and raised her arms to stop the encroaching frogs.

Without pause, one of the Toady seized the Woodland Clan Mother, stuffed her into a Henge Cord net which was wrapped around its torso. As quickly as it had begun, the Toadies turned and crashed back out of the village with the clan mother tied below one of them. As the Toady hopped along, the Clan Mother was jostled and smashed into the ground under the creature's huge belly.

"Yes!" SkekSihn bellowed. "My exceptional Toadies! There's one down, six to go! And oh, we mustn't forget the mother of them all!"

The Gelfling slipped backward on his feet as he scrambled to his original hiding place among the chests. The Skeksis turned exuberantly and left the room as he whispered to himself. The Gelfling let some time pass to ensure the Skeksis was indeed gone, and then stepped forward taking up a chair from the pile where he had been hiding. He went to the pedestal, placed the chair firmly beside it and climbed up to read the tome.

It was written in High Thraan, which he had learned only parts of, but he was able to digest what the words meant and he was chilled to his Gelfling bones.

**Exquisite Elixir of Foreverness  
**

One part Essence of Spriton Gelfling  
One part Essence of Woodland Gelfling

One part Essence of Drenchen Gelfling

One part Essence of Vapra Gelfling

One part Essence of Grottan Gelfling

One part Essence of Sifa Gelfling

One part Essence of Dousan Gelfling

One part Gelfling Queen

One jiltz pulverized crystal shard

Seven fronds of Ochre Alder

Two Furlark eggs

One pumping heart of Skeksis (NOTE: preferably SkekTek's!)

After much experimentation, it has been determined that Clan Mother Essence is required for the Exquisite Elixer of Foreverness to work! There is something about their Essence that is different from a regular Gelfling.

The Gelfling gasped at his discovery. He climbed down from the chair and staggered out of the laboratory. He had guarded the Castle of the Crystal for a few trine and knew his way around the back hallways. He left that wicked place as quickly as he could to warn the Woodland Clan of what was to come and see if there was anyone that would help stop the Skeksis from this evil plan. SkekSihn was after all of the Clan Mothers and he must be stopped.

**Excerpt from the journal of SkekSihn the Potent  
Boundless Tonic of Untold Clarity and Vision**

Three parts Essence of Groton Gelfling  
Two parts Essence of Dousan Gelfling

One Dash of silt from the Swamp of Sog

One Dank Crawler egg

Chapter 2

Colin cast a silken line into the river and then set his fishing pole onto the bluish-gray rock along the edge of the Black River. High overhead, three suns stuck together like old friends. As the young Gelfling wiped perspiration from his brow, he judged it to be around mid-day. He breathed the thick air in slowly. Behind him the Dark Forest was comfortable and familiar, so he lay upon the flat rock propped on his elbows to cool off while he watched the bobber in the water. He had made the floater from a Bolboroot. He could see it wave its arms around and give him a menacing look every now and then. Colin smiled back, which made this particular Bolbo even angrier.

He listened to the river flow endlessly and closed his eyes to daydream; the Bolbo would certainly scream if there was a fish on the line. A severe dunking is what the Bolboroot needed, Colin thought, as he settled comfortably onto the rock and used his rucksack as a pillow.

Soon he dreamed he was deep in the forest and the trees swayed of their own accord; there was no breeze on hot, humid days such as these. Some of them still talked to him, but even to the Eldertrees, he was an outcast. Colin staggered from one to the next and whispered the words taught to him by his great-grandmother. When he spoke, the trees mostly shuddered and looked down upon him in silence. Finally he came to one that responded to his ancient words and it spoke.

"What do you seek?" it rasped.

"My people," Colin replied. "They're gone and I can never get them back."

"Outcast," it whispered.

"Yes," he placed his hand on the gnarled tree.

"Gelfling, you must seek the Clan Mothers."

"What do you mean, Tree?"

"Neeeeiiii!"

Colin covered his ears and cowered beneath the great tree as it grabbed his shoulders and shrieked in his face with a high pitch roar. He opened his eyes and realized the awful noise came from the river. He sat up as the Bolboroot sunk and the hideous screech was drowned by water. Colin let out a sigh of relief and wiped sweat from his brow as he rose from his resting place.

His fishing pole was dragged across the rock and almost went into the river before he was able to retrieve it. Luckily he was still a Woodland Gelfling, never mind that he was kicked out of the Woodlands, he was still quick and spry. He grabbed the sapling pole and began to reel the line in. Finally the Bolboroot came up from the depths below for air. Colin let out a whoop and wound the line in faster.

As he reeled, a rustle in the trees caught his attention. A flash of ephemeral wings sparkled in the sunlight.

"Woodland Mother has been taken!" the girl Gelfling cried frantically.

"Taken?" Colin looked over his shoulder.

"Oh! You're the Outcast," she retreated a ways back into the forest.

"Wait, hold on!"

He was hungry and didn't want to lose what was on the end of the line, but he also hadn't spoken to another of his kind for eight full turnes. He could just about see the catch beneath the surface. It was blue, with yellow spots. Hmm…blue with yellow spots, he thought.

His eyes widened when he realized what he had on the hook and dropped the pole just as the beast shot out of the water in a fury. The Gilatrawl pushed itself out of the water with its great fins, the Bolbo rose before it and with a snap and a shriek from the poor forest root, it was down the gullet of the ferocious water beast. The Giatrawl landed on the rock before Colin, stopped briefly to savor the lost bobber before it stumped toward the frightened Gelfling who had fallen over his rucksack where he had been sleeping just moments before.

Colin had dealt with Gilatrawls before. It had been a rite of passage of sorts when he had tagged along one day with his brother to the river. Later they would be told they were stupid Gelfkids, but at the time, they pictured themselves as fierce warriors, like some of the Great Gelflings from the stories told by the Elderling. They had caught two of the beasts in a large net, let them loose on the ground and goaded each other into wrestling their chosen beast while avoiding the stinger bone that protruded from the blue monster's forehead. The trick was to get the thing on its back, and then it was docile as a Mewlcat.

"Careful!" Colin said to the other Gelfling. "If you get stuck by the stinger bone, paralysis will set in and the Gilly will eat you, starting with your stomach innards."

"It's disgusting!" the girl said behind him. "Watch out!"

The Gilatrawl leapt forward on its fins and almost stuck Colin with the stinger on its forehead.

"It's alright, I can handle him," Colin said nonchalantly.

"Oh, be careful," she said.

"What's your name?" Colin asked as he eyed the water beast.

"I'm not supposed to talk to you. You've been cast out."

"I might be dead in a few tikks," he said calmly. "Do me a favor and let me die with someone I can call friend?"

"I'm Shira," she said reluctantly. Colin saw that she had backed further into the forest, away from the crazy Gelfling and the vicious Gilatrawl. "Why don't we just run?"

"Never turn your back on a Gilly," Colin answered. "These things are fast."

"Really?" Shira asked.

"Yes, really," Colin nodded and smiled to himself.

He really just wanted to talk to another Gelfling. The Gilatrawl would be easy to take care of, unless he slipped up and got stung, but he assured himself that wouldn't happen. He eased back a few steps and stood next to Shira. She was a bit shorter than he with long golden hair and a nice upturned nose; a trait that ran through the female line of Woodland Gelfling. Her wings were the most beautiful he had ever seen.

"I'm Colin, but you probably already know that," he said as he placed himself between her and the advancing fish. "Just move slowly, I'll take care of him."

She had backed away a few paces when the Gilatrawl charged. Colin was ready for him. He placed his feet firmly on the ground and waited for the beast to come within range. The stinger bone waved to the left and right as it thrust toward his stomach. Colin expertly grabbed the stinger with both hands, shifted his feet and flung the beast high in the air without letting go of the tusk as it oozed an orange liquid that he was sure would paralyze him if any of it touched his lithe Gelfling body.

It was all over in an instant. Colin slammed the creature down with a thump on its back, where it squirmed with its fins flailing uselessly. This Gilatrawl was bigger than any he had seen before and its rotund underbelly sagged to its sides, which stabilized it on the ground so it could not flip itself over. Colin quickly began to rub the white spot where a neck would be if it wasn't a fish and had such an area. Instantly the thing went limp and let out a slight whimpering sound.

"See? I told you I had this under control," Colin said triumphantly.

He turned, but Shira had disappeared into the Dark Wood. Colin slapped the Gilatrawl's exposed belly in frustration which caused the mass of flesh to quiver and the beast snorted in anger. Colin left the shoreline and went into the woods to find the Gelfling.

He didn't go far before he heard a scream. He ran towards the sound and came abruptly to a clearing where he found a group of Gelfling bent over an unmoving figure on the ground. He spotted Shira and came to stand beside her.

"What's happened?" he asked.

"These things, great beasts, they came and took our Clan Mother!" Shira said. "Some of the Elderling tried to protect her, but they were brushed aside like weed grass. One of the giant toads had a carriage attached to its underbelly and they took her away. This Elderling tried to save her, he even jumped on top of the thing to stop it, but sadly, he was knocked down and trampled."

Colin looked down and sucked in a breath of air at the sight.

"Father!" he cried and knelt beside the prone figure.

"My son," the old Gelfling spoke, closed his eyes and said no more.

"Quickly," Colin stood up and faced his clan.

"I can save him. Gather twenty stones larger than your fist, but no larger than a Charka Bulb. Like this," he held his fist up before him for them to see. "Shira, I need you to help me with the dirt runes."

He immediately knelt on his knees and dug at the forest floor with his bare hands. He formed mound lines around his father and it didn't take long before he had made a complete rune circle, the first of three that he must complete. The last circle was when he needed to begin the rune words that would bring his father back from the darkness.

"You mustn't do this," Shira grabbed his shoulder.

He stopped and looked around. No one had moved. They all stared at him in shock. There were no stones to complete the rune. He would have to do it himself, so he got to his feet and began to frantically search. Shira put her hand on his shoulder.

"Just stop," she said.

"I have to do this! You Gelfling don't understand," Colin shouted. "I can save him!"

"Colin, no," his father spoke. Colin turned to look at his father where he lay on the ground with one eye open.

"I go now. You must not Summon the Death Spirit. It will turn you dark. It will only turn you dark."

The old Gelfling closed his eyes and began to shudder. Colin ran and slid to his knees to be at his father's side. He grabbed the dying man's hand and froze as he sank into a Dreamfast.

"I die now, my son," his father's words were in his head without speech.

Colin always felt it strange to have access to another Gelfling mind. They were linked together and entire conversations could be had without any passing of time. He wondered if this connection etched away at his essence the same way a Summoning did.

"I can save you," Colin said quickly.

"No, my son. It will only make you a creature of the dark, like it did to Tahalla. You have the Ability, but you must never use it again. It is forbidden among our kind."

"I know, father, but I am strong and can fight the Death Spirit. I could have saved mother, if it weren't for the other Elderling."

"They had to. It will take over and you will not be Gelfling, but a demon minion at the Death Spirit's command. No, I go now. We have time for one thing. You must learn the Summoning of the urRu."

"They are a myth, Father, and besides, I am not an Elderling to know such things!"

"You have the Ability, therefore, you are Elderling."

"I am barely a Gelfkid."

"There is no time to argue, only learn. You must find the urRu, for they are the only ones that can defeat the scourge of the Skeksis that has stained our land. Now watch and listen," his father spoke heavily.

He dreamed of a great tree and knew where it lay in the middle of a vast plain of grassland outside the Dark Forest. His father's Words of Summoning were now his along with the Runes of Summoning to be made from tree limbs, stones, dirt and sand were his to form around the Gnarled Stonetree. A final image of the urRu in a great valley flashed through his memory before Colin was shunted out of the Dreamfast.

His father's form slumped and he let out a long breath. Colin knew his father was gone. He let out a wail of grief and held tightly to his father's limp hand. The other Gelfling formed a circle around the Elderling and hummed the Passage Rite. When they were quiet, Colin stood and walked through the crowd of Gelfling who had gathered to see one of their Elderling off to the spirit world.

He walked until he came to his village. The destruction was widespread and devastating. Some of the domes in the trees, which had been built to withstand the elements and falling branches from above, had been torn apart and strewn about like fire kindle. Gelfling were hunched over the still forms of their brethren and the entire village wept. A singular hum had risen all around as loved ones were ushered to the spirit world, where his father already had gone.

Colin stood in the middle of the village and surveyed all that had been lost. He looked up into the trees and saw a landscape of pods where the Woodland Gelfling lived. His own home was far up there, long abandoned since he had been cast out. His gaze shifted to the wreckage before him. The entire area under the tree dwellings had been a beautiful gathering space for all of his clan. Great runes had been swathed out of the earth and black rocks had been placed decidedly by the Elderlings. Now this beauty was littered with the Gelfling's past, present and any future they had ever known. It would take a long time to rebuild their home.

Suddenly, a kind of Gelfling not seen in the Woodland Forest for several trine burst through the outlying brush riding a great white haired creature with long legs. Colin recognized him as a Drenchen Gelfling and he watched as the stout figure dismounted and shouted, "Beware the Skeksis! They hunt for our Clan Mothers!"

A small group of Gelfling gathered around the newcomer as the large beast the Gelfling had been riding disappeared into the brush.

"Name yourself, Gelfling, and tell us why you have come into our lands," Colin said.

Before the Drenchen could speak, a Woodland Elderling hobbled forward from the crowd.

"Stand easy, fellow Drenchen," the elder Gelfling said calmly and then turned to Colin.

"Colin, son of Aeron, why have _you_ come into our lands?"

"I just, my father," Colin faltered.

Another Gelfling, slightly older than Colin, stepped forward.

"Elderling Linaius, this outsider comes to tell us what we all already know. There is a blight upon these lands and they have a name; Skeksis. For trine there have been signs of their madness. It is slow, but certain; with their dark magic they have turned Thra black. Already, the great trees of Ench are dying. Faun and fern that have been here for many trine are gone. Lost forever. It doesn't matter that my brother Colin has been cast out. Now, we all must gather together, Gelfling of all kind, to stop them."

"Thank you, Faerin, my brother," Colin said as he extended his hand and placed it on his brother's shoulder. Faerin returned the gesture.

"Very well," Linaius cast his eyes wearily on Colin before he turned back to the Drenchen Gelfling. "Tell us your name, friend."

At the utterance of familiar greeting, some of the Woodland Gelfling whispered furiously to each other. Drenchen were friend to their enemy, the Spriton Clan, who sought to take away their sacred ground on which they now stood.

"Quiet, my brethren. There is no time for us to fight each other, as you have heard our own Faerin speak it. We need to cast away our rivalries, for there is evil abound and we will surely suffer for it." Linaius spoke to the entire village.

"I am Rian," the Gelfling said as he stepped forward. "Son of Cryan. I hail from the Swamps of Sog and am of the Drenchen Clan."

Colin noted the differences between his own people and the Drenchen. This one had more girth about him and certainly more hair protruding from the strangest places. Rather revolting in some ways, but Colin found himself oddly curious altogether, for he had never seen a Drenchen Gelfling before.

"Tell us what you know, Rian," Linaius said gently as he placed his hand on the heavy Gelfling's shoulder.

Rian bumbled to one of the few tables that had not been broken to pieces from falling debris and settled onto it heavily. Colin quickly sat on the other end of the table to keep it from tipping in the guest's favor. He put his legs up in front of him and cradled his knees as he faced the strange Gelfling.

"There I was, in the middle of the great Castle of the Crystal," Rian began. "Doing my job, the job they made me do. I had no choice! I was to guard the halls. Don't know what for, but I just did as they tolds me to. That's how I found out about them. Ugh! Them Skeksis are up to bad things. SkekTek, and his evil apprentice, SkekSihn. Bad things indeed. Which of them is worse? I don't know, I tell you that much!"

"What did you see?" Colin couldn't help himself.

"They killed Gelfling! That's what I saw," Rian became somber. "Sucked the life right out of them. Then the poor lifeless Gelfling were tossed down the center of that forsaken castle, into the Endless Pit."

At mention of murder, there was a collective lament of grief from the gathered Gelfling. All around, fathers, mothers and children heard the Drenchen's tale of treachery. Some shook their heads in disbelief; others nodded solemnly, knowing this pitiable Gelfling spoke truth.

"You said they hunt for our Clan Mothers," Faerin came to the table. "And it is true; those beasts came and took our Mother from us. Tell us what you know."

"Yea, SkekSihn's Toadies. They was the ones took your Mother. And I know what he's going to do with her and all the rest of the Clan Mothers."

"Tell us, please, cousin Rian," Linaius pleaded.

"There's a tome. It was right there, on evil SkekSihn's bench. So many pages of drawings and scrawlings. Mostly don't make sense to me, but there was one recipe, like no other I have seen, or any of you ever will. He's going to take the Mother's life essence and put it through his wicked crystal machine to make an elixir to live forever."

"You read this?" Colin queried. "A Drenchen that can read?"

There were a few snickers from other Gelfling. He had never seen a Drenchen before, but Colin had heard many stories of their obtuse nature and base instincts. They lived in the swamps to the southeast of the Dark Forest and smelled rancorously. Childhood stories passed between them that told of the Drenchen as simple creatures that loafed around every day and ate bugs.

"Tis true, Woodlander. We Drenchen never lie," Rian yawned and fluttered his eyes drearily.

"The Skeksis are after the Clan Mothers, then," Linaius said. "How many others do they have and where are they being held?"

"Just the one. Yours," Rian said as he closed his eyes and rested back against the table. "Don't know where they took her. I left as soon as I could get out of there without being seen."

"Thank you, friend," the Elderling said. "Rest now, you must be weary from the long journey."

Rian was already asleep. His great belly heaved with each breath and soon he snored so loud what remaining birds in the trees took flight with a cacophonous banter. The others ebbed away from the gathering, back to their grief; some began to clean up the mess the Skeksis' beasts had left behind.

"Counsel must be held to determine our course of action. I think first we must go to the Skeksis and demand for Eldraeda to be returned to us," Linaius said to two other Elderling, who nodded at his senior wisdom as they walked away from the sleeping Drenchen.

"So we just walk up to the great Castle of the Crystal and ask them to give her back then? That's what we do?" Colin said to their retreating figures.

"Your doubts have been noted, son of Aeron," the Elderling said gravely and continued on. "You will be called if needed."

The seven Elderling of the clan assembled at the entrance of the wooden lodge where they held council meetings. It had survived most of the damage, aside from part of its thatched roof being caved in by a large log that must have been part of one of the dwellings from above.

"Wait! My father has bidden me to seek the urRu," Colin said to their backs. "He said only they can help us, for they know the true nature of the Skeksis and how to stop them."

Well, he hadn't said quite that much about it, Colin thought to himself, but he needed to get them to believe him. He feared the Elderling would get all of the Woodland Gelfling killed before he found the urRu. He needed to divert their plan. Once he found the urRu, then they would know how to fight the Skeksis.

Linaius turned and came back to stand before Colin.

"We know all too well about Elderling Aeron's quest to find the fairytale creatures from Gelfkid stories, but we have to focus on what we have here and now. Your status here is temperate, young Colin, tread lightly."

"You are being fools!" Colin said angrily.

"A fool is the Gelfling who summons a deathly spirit from the Great Beyond and thinks he can master the being he has brought forth. You, Colin, son of Aeron, committed great treachery among our people and could have destroyed everything that is good. Now leave this place."

"I'll leave alright, and when I find the urRu, you'll be sorry for betraying my father and my family," Colin said and turned his back on Linaius.

He heard Linaius return to the other Elderling who muttered grimly before they retreated into the shambled lodge. He would show them all. His father was not crazy. There really were mystical urRu to be found and only they could help defeat the Skeksis.

Without another word, he left the village clearing and went deeper into the Dark Wood on a quest for not only himself or his family name, but for Gelfling of all kind. He would seek out the Gelfling Queen, and even travel to the other six Gelfling clans if he had to. They needed to know about the Skeksis plan to take the clan mothers. A Gelfling Gathering, like none other before, was the only thing that could save them from annihilation. That and finding the urRu. He knew what his father said was true; the key to their survival was to find the Gnarled Tree for a clue to where the urRu were hiding.

_There isn't enough time!_ Colin thought fiercely as he set off, back to the Black River to retrieve his rucksack.

**Excerpt from the journal of SkekSihn the Potent  
Extraordinary Elixer of Energizing Health and Longevity**

Two parts Essence of Vapra Gelfling  
Three parts Essence of Sifa Gelfling

One frond of Cat Whip

One nail of Silfen Drudge

Chapter 3

"Yes!" SkekSihn screeched. "Yes, my minions. You have her and now she is all mine!"

The toady lumbered up the steep hill to the sluice gate that led into the sewers deep under the Castle of the Crystal. SkekSihn's power over these fair minded creatures was held within the blue crystal mounted upon his long knobby staff. With it and the paired crystals wedged above the poor creatures foreheads, he was able to command them from near and far.

"Bring her to me, my Toady," the Skeksis said greedily as he hopped from one knobby foot to the other.

The creature came to a halt and lifted the unconscious Woodland Clan Mother out of the cage attached to its underbelly. It laid her gently on the ground before SkekSihn and retreated down the hill as quickly as it could.

"We've just begun, my pets, but for now, rest," SkekSihn called after them. "I will need you on the morrow for another!"

"And you, my dear, are the first of seven," he said to the inert Gelfling. "And after that, the great Queen herself!"

He admired their small faces and perfectly formed bodies. The other Skeksis found them to be disgusting creatures, but SkekSihn had always had a great fondness for their delicate nature. He almost considered eating one someday, but not today, and goodness, no, not this one. This one was to be saved for another day, when the seven Clan Mothers and the Queen were one within his Essence Amalgamator.

He pictured it, all eight of them in their chairs, all those tubes with the essence rushing to meet each other, and then alongside them on a table would be the great buffoon SkekTek, whose heart would be ripped out with SkekSihn's own bare hands and cast into the clan mother mixture at the last moment. Then he, SkekSihn, would be all powerful and live forever!

He was giddy as he set his staff aside and picked Eldraeda the Woodland Clan Mother off the ground and went into the sewers under the Castle. He hummed a tune he had heard one of the Gelfling guards whistle the other day before he sucked the stupid creatures life essence out of him and drank it wistfully.

The other Skeksis were far above in the Great Throne room, acquiescing to the Grand Emperor SkekSo's every wish and command. They were such weaklings, curtseying around him. That Skeksis, SkekSihn thought, is dumber than the rest of them, but his might is such that he would have to be dealt with eventually. He had a special plan for SkekSo, and it wouldn't be without much pain and agony for the large stupid Skeksis.

"He will be the last of my worries, my pretty Gelfling," SkekSihn said to the limp form he carried deeper into the caverns below the Castle of the Crystal. "Just a little further and you will be home."

The first time he had come down into the cavernous rock that formed the natural base of the castle, he could barely see a thing in front of him except for the light from a crystal he held. Now, he had devised a system of crystals embedded in the cavern walls that lit on their own as he was near them and then went dark again as he walked forward to the next set.

The other Skeksis never came down here and he was sure they would never find his secret dungeon. It was deep into the sewers complex labyrinth. They were too lazy and inept to come this far and ever hope to find their way back up to the surface. The cave tunnel came to a dead end.

"Crag, may I enter?" he let out a squawk and waited patiently, his eyes flickered back and forth on the wall. Finally, two eyes opened in the rock face and stared back at him.

"Thank you, Crag," SkekSihn said.

"SkekSihn," a mouth had formed in the rock below the eyes and spoke gravelly. "Is this one for me?"

"Oh, not this one!" SkekSihn said protectively as he held the Gelfling tightly to his chest. "Later, Crag. This one's special."

"Soon, Skeksis, or this passage will not be yours any longer," the wall's eyes drew tightly together. "I grow ravenous!"

SkekSihn shuddered as he recalled the last Gelfling he had brought down here. It was a bloody mess and gruesome, even to a Skeksis. Crag liked them alive, and even though it was only a Gelfling, SkekSihn felt sorry for the small guard as it was devoured by the Crag Fiend.

"On the morrow I will bring you a fresh one," SkekSihn said.

"Morrow? Days mean nothing to me! Don't wait too much longer, Skeksis!"

The Crag Fiend closed its eyes and mouth. SkekSihn stared at the wall for an unsure moment before the rock creature finally decided to open up. It slid downward and to the left, revealing a passageway. SkekSihn held the Gelfling mother tightly as he passed into the great chamber beyond.

Light shone down from the three suns through a natural chimney hole in the rock far above. Great blue and pink crystals glowed dimly where they protruded variously along the cavern walls. The room was bare except for a large heap of fabric, where SkekSihn placed the Gelfling gently. She woke with a start and gazed in horror up at the Skeksis.

"Where am I?" she exclaimed as she sat up in the plush heap.

"Shh," SkekSihn hissed. "It will be alright, my dear Gelfling Mother."

"What do you want with me?"

"In time, you will see. It's for the greater good, really," he replied.

"Let me go, please?"

"Shh," he tried to sooth her, but the noise the Skeksis made failed to calm her down.

"Camalayaaaa!" Eldraeda opened her mouth wide and exclaimed.

"What are you doing?" SkekSihn was startled.

"Bindi. Komadee," she wailed.

"Ah, I've heard of this. Interesting," the Skeksis chuckled as he looked around him.

"Karmada!" she continued.

"There are no creatures of the earth here to answer your calls, Gelfling Mother," he said. "None of them are down here this far into the earth. Only Gakworms and Eelores, and I don't think they have any ears much less eyes."

"Camalaya!" she called before the fire of hope extinguished in her eyes.

"Fear not," SkekSihn said calmly. "You will have friends soon. Seven of them in fact, just like you."

"What do you mean?"

"The other Clan Mothers, of course," he squawked. "And the Queen. Mustn't forget the Queen!"

She stood and exclaimed, "But Skeksis and Gelfling have always lived together in peace! What do you want from us?"

SkekSihn paused, shook his beak from side to side and said, "I was going to go into detail about what I'm going to do to you, but I think you will have to wait. The excitement and wonder makes it all the better."

"You have to let me go!" Eldraeda cried.  
"No, I have only just begun!"

He swung around suddenly and exited the room.

"Crag, close it up!" he said as he skulked down the rocky corridor.

"Wait!" he heard her scream, but the wall closed behind him and he heard no more.

#


End file.
